The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-10-20
GEMS or The UNITED STATES.
The Product of Precious stone. SURPLUS

precious
ingIy smaII-Groups Of sflieates-
The recent volume on the THE Mineral
Resources of the United States, pub.
Iished by the government, contains az
interesting paper by Mr.. George z. Kunz
on the history and production Of gem
stones IN America For a country 50
otherwise richly endowed with nInera!
wealth as the United States, her product
of precious stones is surprisingly small.
The total value of gems mined IN this
country during 1884 amounted TO but
$50. 9T5. Almost tvVo-thirds of this sum
was for minerals valuable only as cabI-
net specimens, and therefore not strictly
10 be cIasseC under the head Of gems. In
addition. the value of the gold quartz
withheld from reduction for use IN Jew
eIrv and as specimens Is calculated 90 be
$40. GOO
Though IN point Of quantity and value
among the most insignificant Of the en-
tire list, the diamond, as the stone of all
stonss. naturally receives the first con-
sideratfon. Probably the largest one
ever found IN this country is the Man
chester diamond which was unearthed
bv a Iaborer at Manchester, Va, about
the middle of the century. The gem was
not recognized at first, and by way of ex-
pertinent was placed IN an iron furnace
at Richmond After remaining at a red
heat for two hours and twenty minutes,
it was iInimpared and brighter than be-
fore. When recognized, it was valued at
81 900. As the stone is off-color and i'm
perfect, it is not worth to-day more than
from $500 to S400. The gold regions of
North Carolina have produced number
of small diamonds. Among the first dis
covered was fine octohedron from
Brindletown creek, valued at 300
Some of the finest American diamonds
come from California, though their size
is generally quite small. Professor Whit
ney states that the stone is found III
fifteen or twenty different localities, the
largest that has come under mis- notice
having been discovered at French Corral.
It weighed Z "a carats. Among the
sapphire gems, a number of excellent
specimens have been found, particularly
in North Carolina. Probably one of the
finest known specimens of emerald green
sapphire was found at jerks mine, In
Franklin county It is the transparent
part of a coFundum crystal, by 1-2
inches. 1t would probably furnish gems
to the amount of 100 carats. Being very
rare, its value is over 81, 900. Fine speci-
mems of chrysoberyl and spinel have been
found in various localities in New Eng
land, New York, and the southern states.
The Platte mountains, in Colorado. have
the best crystals of topaz. One
of these weighs 125 caFats, and IS as fine
a gem of any kind as America has ever
produced
In garnets, America has produced /
stones comparable with the best products
Of Africa and the east. Though smaller +
than those found IN the diamond mines
of the cape of Good Hope, the garnets of /
the Colorado river plateau are unsur-
passed IN color and clearness. The cape /
garnets retain their dark color by arti- I
fetal light, but in American nothing but I
the clear blood color is visible. It is IN (
the group of silicates that we find the I
largest value among American gem F
minerals. In transparent quartz par
5icular1y fine crystals have been found IN
New York. Thepurple variety, the we'll
known amethyst is quite common in
New England, one specimen found near
Conn.,, being almost equal in
color to the much praised Siberian z ~.
The most remarkable native amethyst
s that recently deposited in the National
by DR.. Lucas. 1t is a turtle
haped prehistoric cutting, which meas
res 2 81 inches in length, 2 inches in
width, and 1 ID inches in thickness.
The whole stone is transparent and with
'ut a flaw. Smoky quartz has returned
he largest revenue of any of the gem
tones, amounting, IN 1884, to $40. 900.
he finest specimens are those from Bear
reek, Colorado, where finely developed
rystals, from an inch to over four feet
4 length, have been found Quartz
rystals containing fluid cavities with
1Oving bubbles are of particular inter-
st, and have been found in a number of
)calities. The beautiful green variety
f feldspar known as Amazon stone,
7hich has been found in fine crystals at
likes peak, is much priced as cabinet
Decimens.
Numbers of minerals also which have
ut nominal value in themselves, are
lade up into attractive articles. An
aracite is carved and turned into va
ety of pretty tTinkets, of which 81, 800
} So, 900 worth are sold annually. Pipe
5one, from those red pipestone quarries
! Minnesota which are so we'll known to
saders of ~Hiawatha" is still used for
ne same purposes, only that the pipes sell
n 81 to $50 apiece, according to the
arving, and circulate strictly among
als-Scientific American.